I've made so many mistakes.
(James Jesus Angleton, one time chief of CIA Counterintelligence Staff)

The article I read yesterday asked the question, would Obama end up being a “failed” war president or the “prince” of peace? We will of course eventually find out how much prince, how much peace, and how much failure there is in our current president.

But will domestic priorities once again be put on the back burner because of failed war policies, as has been the case it seems for at least the past 40 years. It matters more than ever because the U.S. is no longer the preeminent global power, able to do whatever it wishes to do whenever it wishes to do it.

If the National Intelligence Council assessment of November 2008 is any guide, our leverage will lessen considerably over the next ten to fifteen years. The question has nothing to do with whether or not we are able to confront real external threats, but whether or not we continue to misread the perceived threats over and over again.

A few years back I saw the movie The Good Shepherd, which I thought was terrific but which came and went almost unnoticed. It starred Matt Damon as the career CIA agent, the story being very loosely based on the real life CIA spy James Angleton.

What the story captures exceedingly well is the WASP sense of entitlement and moral superiority, as depicted by Damon, a member of Yale's secret Skull & Bones. Edward Wilson, the character played by Damon, is recruited by a Yale professor in 1939. He joins the OSS, a precursor to the CIA.

An especially telling moment comes years later in a conversation between Damon and Joe Pesci, who plays a Mafia don. Pesci's character asks Damon what his people are known for, meaning the white Anglo-Saxon protestants.

Pesci points out the Italians have certain cultural traits, things they are known for and are proud of. Damon replies that, “We own the country. The rest of you are just visiting.”

While foreign policy and war making are no longer the exclusive preserve of ivy league protestant males, the entitlement strain runs deep through America, but an America now changing rapidly, one where expanding sections of the country look like the third world, and where despair, poverty, and illiteracy are becoming the “natural” state.

The “neocons,” who have proven to be remarkably obtuse over the years, seem to be even more out of touch, even after their mind numbing failures over the past eight years.

These “dead enders” have not vanished from the scene, but they need to be escorted off the stage as fast as possible. They are harmful to the health of America.

Bill Moyers Journal has a really good interview with the journalist Mark Danner, who has covered numerous wars across the globe. What he has to say is worth listening to. Go to Mark Danner.

Another excellent article “The Lost History of Helmand,” written by the documentary film maker Adam Curtis is definitely worth reading. He talks about America's adventure in nation building in Afghanistan starting in 1946. It's a tale that most Americans know nothing about including most likely many American policy makers. We can't afford our ignorance any longer. Unfortunately the videos in the article are not working. See Helmand.